ELTON COMES OUT OF THE CLOSET

SIR ELTON JOHN may have come out of the closet years ago, but now he's dragging its contents along with him. The singer, 59, has dredged through the contents of his cavernous wardrobes and has set up a shop with over 10,000 of his finds, all in the name of charity. The aptly titled 'Elton's Closet' has been set up in Manhattan's Rockefeller Centre, with proceeds going to The Elton Aids Foundation. "The clothes have hardly been worn. Some of them haven't been worn," said Sir Elton at the launch. Male peacocks in search of his flamboyant showman style can find it in the form of elaborately printed suits by Gucci, Versace, Missoni and Jean Paul Gaultier, a polka-dot Richard James suit (worn by Sir Elton to duet with Eminem at 2001's Grammy Awards) along with an impressive rainbow array of silk Versace dressing gowns. Our favourite? A luxurious mink-lined Brioni coat; a veritable steal at $8,795. Absolutely fabulous. (12 April 06 AM) Stephen Doig